Posted by simguy on 5/1/2007

Before: Landry swaggering, staying busy, fearlessly pitting herself against one and all - just like the good old days. Tune up fight heading into a Nolin superfight could be dangerous - Bjorlin a similarly-built ballistic brunette with a proven punch - but Ali isn't worried. "Do I look like Tricia Helfer?" Ali smirks at the dais. "Trust me - I think this Nadia kid is good for 4, 5 rounds tops - just a little workout before I step into Gena. Soon as I break a sweat, I'll take her out - I just want to rev the engine a bit, get the kinks out, keep my timing sharp." Bjorlin upbeat, outgoing with press - she leapfrogs a lot of worthy foes to get a plum chance at an upset. "I've seen Ali hit hard and do the funky chicken," Nadia grins, "she's human. Five years ago, she was definitely one of my idols, but now? Let's face it - Ali Landry is looking a little scuffed up, little ragged around the edges. Not saying she isn't hot, but as a fighter? I think she's going to get shocked in this fight. Huge." Bjorlin in black leather bikini, white gloves. Ali in gold bikini, black gloves.

During R1: Bjorlin out with very high guard - dukes above her temples. Ali dukes cheek-high - she gets off first with pumping jabs off the shoulder, banging at Nadia's guard. Landry stepping/pivoting left - loud pop of her jab against Bjorlin's defences sharp in the air - Nadia turning-with, staying square to target. Ali trying to force the right hand through off the poke - partially blocked: Landry mixing in the mop-up hook to paunch throughout the second minute, keeping Nadia's guns holstered. Two-way action picks up down the stretch, Bjorlin leaning in close, smashes Ali's golden-brown paunch via right/left roundhouses - great clapping spank sounding out as Nadia bulls forward. Ali won't have it: she firms, bangs back paunch inside, comes off the waist with short left uppercuts, picking Nadia up in her breasts. Bell: Bjorlin nostrils flaring, brazenly chesting into Ali and shouting "That's it? That's all you got?" Ref has to step in as Landry shoves Nadia in anger.

R2: Nadia stepping-to behind her high guard, walking through Ali's jab, then smashing away right/left roundhouses. Landry shelled to her flanks, paunch and ears - she's covering up, leaning forward to get inside the arc of Bjorlin's whaling blows, but Nadia doing a nice job shortening up stroke, clubbing away with heft. Ali countering off the block - answering thick amidships on Nadia, hooking Bjorlin's breasts in close, then using a shoulder to bump Nadia off. Bjorlin very strong on her feet - hard to muscle backward - but Ali's educated footwork helping her destabilize Bjorlin with sidesteps and step-outs. Landry fighting a measured pace, using her jab, giving angles, AND doling out thudding punishment as she works Nadia for more close points in the second.

R3: Ali thoughtfully going at her foe - jabbing into the high guard, stepping to her left, looking things over. Nadia walking straight in - she's just looking to trade and be the stronger girl toe-to-toe. Landry using her jab to stabilize Nadia, then dipping forward to lift short, jerking left uppercuts in between the mitts: good clean contact to Nadia's chin as Bjorlin appears unfazed. Ali rifling muscular one-twos at Nadia's sturdy guard; back underneath that wide, whipping hook, taking Nadia very heavily across her paunch CHUP! Bjorlin absorbing shots in the process of walking Ali down - but Nadia doing well when the girls lean in and bash away torsos. Ali feeling Nadia's power to the ribcage - Landry investing in Bjorlin's biceps late with short, clouting blows to either side in hopes of taking a little of the edge off.

R4: Ali classier - no question - but Bjorlin so persistent and sturdy - Nadia's making Landry earn it tonight. Landry pumping her jab - stiff, jolting shots mostly shattering against Nadia's guard - but the occasional poke pounding through the face, startling Bjorlin. Important thing for Landry isn't LANDING the jab so much as using it to set her balance, set up her right hand and left uppercuts - Ali able to work at pageant-boxing distance for the most part. Nadia fearlessly marching through this stuff, opening up with brawling roundhouses to Ali's sturdy midriff - paunches getting clobbered tonight as both girls lean forward, set their hips and whale away big-girl. Ali more likely to come off the body with an uppercut or push in Nadia's shoulders - Landry always resetting the agenda, forcing adjustments on Bjorlin.

R5: Ali pounds away one-two up top, then as Nadia's trying to answer a hook - Landry beats Bjorlin to the punch, hooking Nadia's mouth. BJORLIN'S ROCKED! Nadia staggering away all wide eyed and astonished, hands low - she hits ropes wobbly-butt, lifting mitts to her face just as Landry's pouncing-to. THICK left hook shakes Nadia to the body - Ali popping hip-right and cranking that baby in there, then doubling the hook against Nadia's guard to punch the mitts out of the way. Landry hoping to squirt a right hand through, but Nadia dips to her left, answers back a clubbing hook, then trades stout right hands as big brunettes hammer away in close. Landry frowning, getting banged up here - she backs away, unable to finish hurt prey as Bjorlin steps strong off the ropes. Thudding body blows back and forth - both girls covering up elbows-in, dukes at temples, shuddering under hamhanded wallops to flanks and paunch. Ali always the first to step-out and renegotiate - she's got that jab to help her keep initiative, even during tactical withdrawals. Nadia grinning at the bell: she took a good shot from Ali and denied the champ satisfaction in a rugged fifth.

R6: Ali winning every round thus far, but clearly frustrated: Nadia's proving very stubborn. More of the same bashing, moist body licks as the girls square away - crowd pleasing spank sounding out from both exquisite frames in thudding turns. Ali punching her jab in between Nadia's mitts, then going waist right/left - Landry exhaling through her mouth as she smokes these home, really giving Bjorlin hell. Nadia taking it well, sponging Landry's authority, then answering just as beefy - Landry frequently falling in to clinch and turn her foe after a Bjorlin sequence shakes the champ. Ali's jab the difference maker - she can own quiet stretches of the fight with it, just stepping patiently around and shelling Nadia: Bjorlin just giving away too much time-of-possession type moments as Landry finesses the points.

R7: Ali goes back to her uppercut-off-the-jab routine - just diligently jerking the left hand in, scoring clean to Nadia's chin, then pushing the left shoulder into Bjorlin to nudge her back. Bjorlin finally showing signs of 'give': legs are shaking a little as Ali pushes on her, backside trembling with the effort of holding canvas. Ali's thudding paunch-punches aren't immediately answered, and more often than not - when Nadia does set to punch - she's eating Landry's preemptive jab. Midway through, Landry starting to walk Nadia down a bit: Ali jerks that little left uppercut off the jab, then doubles it to hook Nadia's ribs. Bjorlin grunts, pushes out a short right: Landry slips it, jerks another left uppercut to chin, another hook short to ribs; pushes Nadia to get her stumbling backward. Ali stepping in with a tart jab, knocking Nadia's face back: short right hand catches Bjorlin on the mouth, loosening her, chasing her to ropes. Ali hopping in - eyes bright - she dabs jabs at Bjorlin's mouth, then pulverizes her sternum a sidearm right roundhouse. Big spanking blast buckles Nadia's legs, sitting her slightly in ropes: Ali clips a rising left/right chup-chup against Nadia's jugs; hooks Nadia's face. Bjorlin on her heels, pushes out a weak right: Ali rolls with it to her right, answers back a blunt right hand BINGO onna chin: NADIA'S STUNNED! Bjorlin upright, hands drooping, OH Ali hooks Nadia's chin, swivelling the head on suddenly limp neck. BJORLIN'S OUT ON HER FEET! Nadia's curvy legs holding her up: Ali all-in - chops a muscular right to chin, hooks chin again - feet wide apart, backside and jugs jumping with finishing vigour and THE REF STEPS IN! Nadia helpless, too strong to go down - Ali's the TKO7 winner and STILL welter champ.

After: Bjorlin taken care off eventually - but Ali forced to dig a little deeper, spend a little more than she anticipated coming in. "Ridiculous," Ali scoffs at Tractorpull suggestion she was tested tonight. "I'm a professional prizefighter - I break girls down, I take them apart, I take my time - I don't just go in there willy-nilly, winging away like some beach tramp. Nadia's very strong - I needed to work her body a bit, beat her arms, get her nice and tender before taking her out. But come on - I was NOT struggling with this girl - get it right for a change." Nadia downcast, but showing the kind of raw material that has made her a pundit's darling in the past. A Sofia Vergara fight might look good on Bjorlin as Nadia looks to establish herself amongst boxing's curvy power punchers.